A Moment Of Silence
by TubOfCoolWhip
Summary: Severus Snape survives the war. What will he do with himself now that both of his masters are gone and he's finally free? My first real fanfic! Review please!


**A/N:****This is my first fanfic [ever posted]! Yay! ^_^ I have two versions of this. This is the first. I do hope I can get some productive reviews. Critique would be lovely! Any feedback, really, is welcome!**

**Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own or profit from this. This story wouldn't even be possible if not for JKRowling.**

**SNAPE VERSION**

**Night of the Final Battle, in the Shrieking Shack…**

Severus' head was pounding mercilessly and he felt as though his entire body were aflame. Especially in his neck and chest. Every breath felt like a thousand little razorblades were sitting in this lungs and esophagus. He could hardly think one coherent thought through all of the pain. But pain or no pain, he was not done yet… Not by far…

Slowly, ever so agonizingly, he rolled to his side, coughing up another mouthful of blood. He needed to stop the bleeding. With violently trembling fingers, he reached into his robes, wet and sticky with all of the blood he'd already lost. Finally, after a few fatal moments of fumbling, he grasped one of the two bottles he had brought with him for this specific occasion. He downed it quickly, choking slightly with the burning pain that accompanied swallowing. If time and circumstances allowed, he'd need to sneak back into his dungeons and grab a few more. He slowly felt the effects of the potion. The flesh of this throat began to knit itself back together feebly and his blood rushed a little.

A little more quickly, he pulled out the second bottle, and downed it with more ease, though the pain was as bad as ever. This one took affect much more slowly. The antivenin wasn't perfect, especially against Nagini's lethal bite, but it would have to do for now. Slowly, weakly, a little of the pain began to recede, letting him sit up correctly.

He took a moment to remember what exactly had happened. _Potter… I gave him the memories… Will he of looked at them yet? Wait… The battle must still be going on… I wasn't out for very long it seems…_ Severus looked out of the window, checking the position of the moon. It hadn't changed much since he'd fallen unconscious. _I need to get out of here… Quickly._

Carefully, he struggled to stand. Just as he straightened himself, pain shot through his entire body and forced him down again. Even more slowly, he rose again, not bringing himself to full height, leaning heavily against the wall of the shack. He took a small step towards the exit of the dilapidated building, but dizziness made him stop. The dizziness dissipated, but was soon replaced with nausea. He forced himself to hold it down, unwilling to lose the potions he'd just taken. He had to keep going.

A little more slowly, he made it over to secret tunnel that led right back to Hogwarts. Determinedly, he lowered himself down, but lost his grip and fell down, hitting the ground hard. He gave a small shout of pain and lay for a moment, shivering violently. He tried to breath evenly, slowly regaining control. Once more, he struggled to stand, using the cold stone walls for support. The cooling touch of the stone was somewhat soothing to Severus, who felt very feverish. The icy contact numbed his hand and arm partially.

Slowly, he staggered down the long passageway, planning what to do next as he went. _I'll need to hide… But for how long? Actually, a better question is 'where?'_ He thought quickly as he stumbled along, until he came to the end of the tunnel. With a little bit of difficulty, he made it out, and looked around for a moment. Thankfully, there was no-one about. The battle seemed to of died down for the moment… Unless it was over? _Is it done?… No… No, I can still sense the tension… A stalemate, possibly?_ Severus shivered slightly as another quick wave of nausea overcame him. Not wasting anymore time, he made his way silently across the lawns, hidden well in his black robes. As he darted through the shadows, he continued his planning.

He got to the castle and began sneaking along its walls. He could very faintly hear the clamor of all the people inside, shouting over one-another, panicking nearly. _This is either really good for me or really bad for me. If they're in there arguing and panicking then they'll be distracted. But if they're rushing around and patrolling the halls, this will be very difficult…_

He found an entrance and quietly slunk inside, scanning to make sure the way was clear. Luckily, it seemed everyone was in the Great Hall. He let out a small breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and started for the dungeons. He moved silently, his hand resting on his wand, alert for any movement.

Finally, he made it to his labs. As he neared the large, heavily sealed door, the serpentine lock hissed in a harsh voice, "_Passsssssword."_

"_Cervus."_ Severus whispered back, his voice hoarse and strained, almost unrecognizable. _Damn. I had actually hoped that that feature of mine would at least be unaffected._ An audible clinking sound came from the door, then it slowly swung inward, the cool dungeon air hitting him gently. It felt good.

He stepped inside, knowing exactly where everything was. He immediately found the store of the potions he needed. He pulled out his wand and cast a silent shrinking charm over the vials. _My magic is unaffected. That's good. _He slipped all of the vials into a pocket in his robes. _I'll probably need to take another dose of each, soon… But I'm still not-_

Severus' thoughts were interrupted as he heard footsteps and voices combing down the steps towards the dungeons. He had to think quickly. Unable to think of a better solution, he braced himself and apparated away, hoping against hope it would do more good than harm.

**A/N:** **I know, kinda cliffy... And short. Don't stalk me and kill me, please... T~T**

**Oh, and before I forget, 'Cervus' means 'doe,' as in deer. Geddit? I'm sorry, that really felt like a Mary Sue moment for me... Yay? Nay?**

**Feedback=more chapters! XD It's true!**

**... And yes, I can see Snape thinking of his voice as an asset to his whole intimidation thing. I do admire him from afar, but if I ever met him in real-life (I know, impossible, but I said 'if') , he'd probably scare the living crap out of me. o_o"**


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